Oral History Interview with Henry Kalinofsky, February 17, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Henry Kalinofsky, February 17, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Kalinofsky of Annapolis, Maryland. He discusses when he was first inducted into the Navy and being a plank owner aboard DE 581. USS MCNULTY. He also discusses his time aboard the USS LSM(R) 198 manning the 40mm Twin Mount and loading rockets in Okinawa, Japan, after the invasion of Normandy. Mr. Kalinofsky describes an attack he was involved in off the coast of Okinawa.
Date: February 17, 2001
Creator: Kalinofsky, Henry
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Atys Daniel Brunson, February 22, 2008 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Atys Daniel Brunson, February 22, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Atys Daniel Brunson. He discusses his family history, childhood, education and what led him to joining the US Navy. He describes his experiences during bootcamp and in the Pacific Theatre during World War Two.
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Brunson, Atys Daniel & Osborn, Oakley E.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Henry Kalinofsky, February 17, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Henry Kalinofsky, February 17, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Kalinofsky of Annapolis, Maryland. He discusses when he was first inducted into the Navy and being a plank owner aboard DE 581. USS MCNULTY. He also discusses his time aboard the USS LSM(R) 198 manning the 40mm Twin Mount and loading rockets in Okinawa, Japan, after the invasion of Normandy. Mr. Kalinofsky describes an attack he was involved in off the coast of Okinawa.
Date: February 17, 2001
Creator: Kalinofsky, Henry
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Milton Seacord, February 6, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Milton Seacord, February 6, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Milton Seacord. Seacord joined the Coast Guard in 1943 and received basic training in Oakland. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Coast Guard station at Coos Bay, Oregon, manning the lighthouse and helping fishermen who ran aground. He transferred to Point Loma, California, standing guard as ships were loaded and unloaded in the harbor. After a brief time aboard the USS Admiral W. L. Capps (AP-121), he traveled throughout the South Pacific aboard the USS Murzim (AK-95). Seacord returned home and was discharged in the fall of 1945.
Date: February 6, 2008
Creator: Seacord, Milton
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with V. P. Johansen, February 17, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with V. P. Johansen, February 17, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with V.P. Johansen. Johansen joined the Navy soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He became a Seabee and spent 18 months working on new construction at the submarine base at Pearl Harbor. His unit was then shifted to heavy equipment for airstrip work. Johansen landed on Iwo Jima on the fourth day of the battle. His battalion began repairing Airfield #1. Johansen details the damaged planes landing on the field and the ongoing maintenance the airfield required. He was sent back to the States that summer where he served until his discharge in December of 1945.
Date: February 17, 2002
Creator: Johansen, V. P.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Erwin Schilling, February 1, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Erwin Schilling, February 1, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Erwin Schilling. Schilling joined the Navy in 1939 with only an eighth-grade education, his family having been too poor to provide him transportation to the nearest high school. Upon completion of basic training in San Diego, he was assigned to the USS Twiggs (DD-127), on escort duty in the Atlantic. The water was particularly rough in the wintertime, and Schilling remembers the ship rolling 56 degrees. After about a year, he was reassigned to the USS Sturtevant (DD-240), which later sank off of Florida. While he was in a lifeboat, he saw enginemen covered in oil waiting in vain for rescue. Schilling was transferred to the USS Buchanan (DD-484) as a gunner’s mate. He was slightly sounded in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Schilling was sent to gunnery school in Washington, D.C., and finished his Navy career aboard the USS Idaho (BB-42). He had no duties to perform at that time and enjoyed live music on deck each afternoon. He returned home and was discharged in October 1945.
Date: February 1, 2009
Creator: Schilling, Erwin
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Andrew Firm, February 26, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Andrew Firm, February 26, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Andrew Firm. Firm joined the Navy in June 1942 and only received 28 days of training before boarding the light cruiser USS Montpelier (CL-57). As a gunner’s mate, his first duty was greasing the guns while the Montpelier patrolled The Slot around Guadalcanal. During island bombardments, he added special tips to shells that would clear trees from the beachheads. In the blazing heat of the Marianas, he was stunned to see a warmly dressed Japanese corpse float by. Returning home in September 1944, Firm transferred to the USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107), where he maintained a quad-40mm and a 5-inch gun. At the end of the war, he sailed to Okinawa and Tokyo Bay, ultimately leaving the service with six battle stars and a Good Conduct Medal.
Date: February 26, 2009
Creator: Firm, Andrew
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, February 18, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, February 18, 2009

Transcript of an oral interview with Floyd Thomas. He begins by discussing his childhood and attending Peacock Military Academy, then joining the Army and his experiences on Okinawa during and after the war. He discusses being a surgical technician and working with Japanese civilians after the surrender. He also talks about meeting his wife after the war, working for saw mills as a salesman and a pilot. He ancedotes about stealing pineapples on Hawaii and getting diarrhea, being treated for jungle rot, selling old Japanese army blankets to civilians, and shipping silk bolts and sabers back home.
Date: February 18, 2009
Creator: Thomas, Floyd R.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Virgil Lewis, February 25, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Virgil Lewis, February 25, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Virgil Lewis. Lewis joined the Navy in October 1943 and received basic training at Davisville. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Seabees and received further training at Port Hueneme. He landed on Guadalcanal in February 1943 and worked as a truck driver, transporting work crews to Henderson Field and Fighter Strip Number Two. He recounts one especially intense air raid and the heroic acts performed by fellow soldiers. After spending a month at Milne Bay and two months at Finschhafen, he arrived at the Admiralties just after the beach was reclaimed. He felt relatively safe there, despite the occasional sniper. Having served with the same group of men for over two years, he heartily celebrated V-J day with his friends. After helping with construction at Okinawa, Lewis returned home and was discharged in late 1945.
Date: February 25, 2009
Creator: Lewis, Virgil
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ruth Scarse, February 12, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Ruth Scarse, February 12, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruth Scarse. Scarse joined the Army in 1943 and became a WAAC. She was trained as a teletype operator and was sent to England to serve with the 8th Air Force. Scarse describes the voyage over on the Queen Mary, in particular having to share a state room with 24 others. She details her duties as a teletype operator and the place where she worked. Scarse also discusses the social activities that she took part in during her stay in the London area. She also describes how she met and married her husband who was an American supply sergeant and how an English couple hosted their honeymoon. Scarse returned to the US after the war and reunited with her husband a short time later.
Date: February 12, 2009
Creator: Scarse, Ruth
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Gordon Kruse, February 20, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Gordon Kruse, February 20, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gordon Kruse. Kruse joined the Navy in March 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. He attended aviation machinist mate’s school in Jacksonville. Upon completion, he was assigned to a patrol bomber training station in Florida, where he was line captain for SBC and PV aircraft. He then attended hydraulics school in Chicago and was sent to Lockheed in California to learn PV hydraulics. Kruse was stationed at Guam until the end of the war, where he helped the Seabees dig trenches until TBMs arrived for servicing. While on Guam he explored caves and discovered Japanese holdouts. Kruse returned home and was discharged in March 1946.
Date: February 20, 2009
Creator: Kruse, Gordon
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Roy Burger, February 4, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Roy Burger, February 4, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roy Burger. Burger was drafted into the Army in May of 1942. He served with the 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in a mortar platoon. He provides some details of basic training and volunteering for the parachute troops. In the spring of 1944 he traveled to England. On 6 June 1944 Burger made his first combat jump at midnight into Normandy, France. In September of 1944 his second jump was into Holland during Operation MARKET GARDEN. They were given orders to head to Bastogne, Belgium, where they defeated a German patrol surrounding their group. Burger was discharged in 1945 and awarded 3 Battle Stars.
Date: February 4, 2009
Creator: Burger, Roy
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with X. B. Cox, February 11, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with X. B. Cox, February 11, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with X B Cox. Cox joined the Army in June of 1937. He served with the 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion. In June of 1944 Cox participated in the Normandy landings. In September 1944 Cox participated in Operation Market Garden, including riding a glider into Holland. Later in December 1944 through January 1945 he participated in the Siege of Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge. He provides details through each of these experiences. In 1967 he completed his 30 years of active and reserve duty.
Date: February 11, 2009
Creator: Cox, X. B.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Willard Frank, February 2, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Willard Frank, February 2, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Willard Frank. Frank joined the Navy in July of 1943. He deployed to Waimanalo in Hawaii to an Amphibious Training base. Frank served as an engineer on an LCVP, ferrying supplies from shore to ships. In 1944, he served aboard USS Lindenwald (LSD-6), participating in the invasions of the Marshall Islands, Saipan, the Philippines and Okinawa. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.
Date: February 2, 2009
Creator: Frank, Willard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Millard Schwartz, February 29, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Millard Schwartz, February 29, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Millard Schwartz. Schwartz was drafted into the Army in December of 1942. He provides details of his weapons training and boot camp. He served with A Battery, 919th Field Artillery, 94th Infantry Division. They traveled to Scotland in August of 1944, and landed on Utah Beach on 7 September. Schwartz shares his experiences traveling overseas aboard the troop ship, the Queen Elizabeth and his time spent in London. His division relieved another in the St. Nazaire area serving to maintain security against the pockets of 50 to 60,000 Germans there. Going into December they traveled to Belgium and participated in the Battle of the Bulge, where they were attached to General Patton’s 3rd Army. They were assigned to an area around the Siegfried Line, near Eschweiler, Germany. He provides vivid details of his experiences through this battle. He was honorably discharged in December of 1945.
Date: February 29, 2008
Creator: Schwartz, Millard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Gordon Hurd, February 8, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Gordon Hurd, February 8, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gordon Hurd. Hurd joined the Army in January of 1944. He was assigned to the 124th Cavalry Regiment as a second lieutenant in the China India Burma campaign. They deployed to India in August of 1944, and operated as dismounted cavalry alongside Chinese troops. He participated in battles with the Japanese to recapture sections of the Burma Road, and helped train Chinese troops to take over after the Japanese surrendered. Hurd was discharged in September of 1946.
Date: February 8, 2008
Creator: Hurd, Gordon
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard K. Rohde, February 24, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Richard K. Rohde, February 24, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard K Rohde. Rohde describes growing up during the Great Depression. He joined the Navy around 1943 and provides details of basic training. He completed Navy Radio School and served as a radioman. Rohde was assigned to the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), beginning January of 1944. They traveled to Hawaii, Eniwetok Atoll, Manus in the Admiralty Islands and participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Rohde provides details of his travels, life aboard the Roberts and the sinking of the ship in October of 1944 off Samar. After traveling through numerous hospitals, and receiving multiple treatments, Rohde was honorably discharged in October of 1945.
Date: February 24, 2008
Creator: Rohde, Richard K
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Harlie Beale, February 14, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Harlie Beale, February 14, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harlie Beale. Beale joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the USS Patuxent (AO-44) as a seaman. In September 1944 he had the opportunity to strike for quartermaster and joined the bridge gang. One of Beale’s most daunting experiences was enduring a typhoon near Ulithi. He found it tiring to stand on the bridge, and terrifying to see nearby destroyers tossed about like toys. At Iwo Jima, Beale learned of plans to support air raids over Japan. But when a magazine hoist sparked and ignited leaking aviation gas, causing an explosion that lifted the ship up 40 feet, the Patuxent was diverted for repairs. Later, at Okinawa, Beale saw a kamikaze strike a nearby ship. When the crew of the Patuxent learned of the end of the war, they sang in celebration. The Patuxent joined the USS Missouri (BB-63) at the signing of the armistice in Tokyo Bay, where Beale saw Japanese civilians out with white flags. Beale returned home after 18 months at sea.
Date: February 14, 2008
Creator: Beale, Harlie
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Espie, February 22, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with John Espie, February 22, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Espie. Although Espie was enrolled at Indiana University and joined the Army ROTC with intentions of being commissioned, he grew anxious about the draft and decided to enlist in the Navy in December 1942. Upon completion of quartermaster school, he embarked on amphibious training and was assigned to USS LST-734. He was at the helm in the Panama Canal and was an expert in dead reckoning at sea. At Guadalcanal he was trained on lessons learned at Tarawa, in preparation for transporting landing craft to Peleliu. There he watched Imperial Japanese marines from the shore as the island was assaulted. After transporting a group of engineers from Hollandia to the Leyte Gulf invasion, Espie survived enormous debris raining on his LST after a nearby ammunition ship exploded. Espie was eventually recommended to the V-12 program, returning to the States to attend Princeton University. When Japan surrendered, the program continued for another year but wound to a close before Espie received his commission. He was discharged into the Fleet Reserve and completed his degree on the G.I. Bill.
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Espie, John
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Vernon Kelly, February 21, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Vernon Kelly, February 21, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vernon Kelly. Kelly joined the Navy in June of 1941. From mid-1941 through March of 1943, he served as a gunner aboard the USS Honolulu (CL-48). They were stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Beginning in the spring of 1942, they provided escort duty to Australia, Samoa, Alaska and Guadalcanal. They participated in the Battle of Kula Gulf in July of 1943. Kelly was then transferred to the USS Chilton (APA-38), participating in the Battle of Okinawa. He was discharged in November of 1945.
Date: February 21, 2008
Creator: Kelly, Vernon
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Herbert Brewer, February 18, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Herbert Brewer, February 18, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Herbert Brewer. Brewer joined the Marines on 1 July 1942. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Marines began accepting African-Americans for training. Due to concerns of racial problems the Marines built a training camp, Montford Point, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where Brewer trained. He was assigned to the 51st Defense Battalion, fire control section, working with 91mm antiaircraft guns. In 1943 his battalion was sent to a base in the Ellice Islands, now Tuvalu, for 6 months. Brewer was sent back to the U.S. to attend Purdue University, under the Navy’s V-12 education program, to study Civil Engineering. Once the war ended, he opted to take a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserves, go on inactive duty and complete his degree at Purdue. He followed up with a master’s degree in the same field. He was called back to active duty when the Korean War began and completed Officer Training in Quantico, Virginia. He was assigned to be in command of an Antiaircraft Artillery Unit at Camp Pendleton. He was the first African-American colonel in the Marine Corps. He retired in 1973 as …
Date: February 18, 2008
Creator: Brewer, Herbert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with D. L. Misenhimer, February 14, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with D. L. Misenhimer, February 14, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with D L Misenhimer. Misenhimer joined the Navy around 1943. In Maine he was assigned to work in the boiler room and engine room aboard a seagoing salvage tugboat, the ATR-77. They pulled barges of aviation gas to Eniwetok, Okinawa and the Philippines. During the Okinawa invasion his group pulled the LSTs off the beach and ran the picket lines. They towed the USS Ward (DD-139) and a hospital ship to dry dock after each was hit by a kamikaze. He shares some details of his experiences during the Okinawa invasion. They transported Japanese prisoners. After the war, they went to Japan to clean up the harbor at Yokosuka. He remained in Japan for six months and provides some details of his work and interacting with the natives. Misenhimer was discharged in August of 1946.
Date: February 14, 2008
Creator: Misenhimer, D. L.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Robert Jagers, February 9, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Robert Jagers, February 9, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Jagers. Jagers joined the Navy in June 1942 and received basic training at Great Lakes. He attended signalman and quartermaster school there and received amphibious forces training in Maryland. Upon completion, he was assigned to an LST sent to North Africa, where Jagers was treated for appendicitis in a hospital that was bombed daily. He rejoined his unit for landings at Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio. At Normandy, his LST carried supplies from the USS Davis (DD-395) to Utah Beach. They loaded 1,000 prisoners and 250 paratrooper casualties and brought them back to England. Each day, Jagers spent four hours guarding prisoners, four hours tending to the wounded, and four hours standing watch. After dozens of trips across the Channel, the ship was decommissioned and handed over to the British. Jagers returned to the States in December 1944 and gave boot camp training at Great Lakes before he was discharged. He authored a book about his experiences, entitled Whales of World War II.
Date: February 9, 2008
Creator: Jagers, Robert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Hugh Sheffield, February 9, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Hugh Sheffield, February 9, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hugh Sheffield. Sheffield joined the Navy when he was 17 years old. He received basic training in Jacksonville and attended electrician’s mate school in Mississippi. Upon completion, was sent to the New Hebrides and then Guam, performing general duties such as digging ditches. At Subic Bay he was taught to engineer an LCVP, in preparation for the invasion of Japan. His crew was a mixture of inexperienced seamen, aviation radiomen, and soldiers fresh out of the brig; Sheffield suspects the motley crew was assigned an old Higgins boat as part of an expendable first wave of attack. After Japan surrendered, Sheffield was sent to Tokyo Bay and worked aboard several different ships. He was discharged and attended college on the GI Bill.
Date: February 9, 2008
Creator: Sheffield, Hugh
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History